"Crowley? Listen to me!" Lucifer was yelling at him. "I need you to keep still. If you don't, you're going to die, do you understand me?!"
Crowley balled his hands into fists and gulped as he tried to quell the instinct to writhe on the ground.
"Aziraphale! Drop the sword and help me. Now!"
The angel was frozen to the spot, staring at the bloodied demon. His bloodied demon.
"Aziraphale!" Lucifer roared, leaping up and grabbing him by his shoulders, shaking him. "He can be saved but it's going to take both of us. Do you hear me? He needs both of us to survive now. He saved you, now help me save him!"
Aziraphale gulped and nodded, kneeling beside Lucifer.
"You need to pull down as much celestial energy as you possibly can and channel it into him. Alright?" No answer was forthcoming. "Aziraphale! Do you hear me?!"
"Y...yes…"
"Then snap out of it!"
Both pairs of hands rested on Crowley's body drawing on their respective energies and channeling them into him, trying to repair the extensive damage across his corporation.
Time seemed to stop around them, the rest of the world dissolving into nothing. Nothing else in the universe mattered in that moment other than saving their friend; angel and devil, working together, combining their powers for the same goal.
Crowley screamed and writhed beneath their touch, unaware of anything around him
"Keep going!" Lucifer yelled when he felt Aziraphale retreat slightly.
It was against his nature to inflict pain and it took every fibre of his being to continue to believe that Lucifer was being trustworthy.
As time passed, Crowley quietened down and Lucifer signalled for them to stop, his own face returning to normal as his wings disappeared. The pair sat in silence waiting for Crowley to gather himself.
"Shit," he hissed as he rolled to his side, bracing his hands on the floor as he pushed himself to his feet. "I thought I was a goner," he panted.
"You alright?" Lucifer asked, watching him carefully.
"Oh yeah. I'm fine! Top notch!" He gave a pained smile and took a step forward. "Oo maybe not," he declared as his knees gave way.
Aziraphale dashed to his side.
"Hi," Crowley smiled lazily at him.
Sighing the angel gathered him into a hug, he could feel skin through the tatters of clothing on his back.
Lucifer approached and offered both a hand. "Come on. I think a drink or six is in order."
"Do all demons drink so much?" Aziraphale asked, wrapping an arm around Crowley as they stood.
Lucifer and Crowley regarded each other for a moment and replied as one.
"Yes."
XxXxX
The trio settled in Aziraphale's office area, bottles of wine and scotch close to hand.
"What happened?" Crowley asked finally.
"What do you remember?" Lucifer asked, pouring three large glasses of scotch.
The redhead frowned. "I called, I got here, angels stormed. There was fire, feathers, swords, spears. We were doing ok, more arrived," he frowned staring into the space in front of him.
"They came at us en mass," Lucifer began filling in the blanks, "heading for Aziraphale. You threw yourself at him, protected him. Crowley, you're lucky to have survived enough for us to be able to heal you. There's something ethereal about you still. There must be to have lived through that at all."
Crowley swallowed heavily. "What, er, what happened to them?"
"Your little party piece finished them off. Your wall of fire engulfed everyone, luckily you were protecting your angel. That's quite a power you've discovered there."
"Do you think it was our little glamour?" Aziraphale asked, frowning in thought.
"What?"
"Well. I was wondering. What if, when we swapped back, a little piece of angelic influence remained? Maybe that's how you passed through Anathema's wards and survived everything else that should have killed you?"
Crowley groaned as he looked at the angel and back at Lucifer, wiping a hand down his face. "There was a prophecy," he began.
Aziraphale reached into the pocket of his waistcoat, pulled out a scrap of paper and read aloud, "When all is said and all is done, ye must choose your faces wisely, for soon enough ye will be playing with fire."
"You swapped bodies!" Lucifer sounded delighted. "Oh that's wonderful! That's just…. ok I can't keep it up. I already knew. It's probably how you passed through the protection that Crowley and I set up, the one that was meant to keep you away from Gabriel, Aziraphale. So who worked it out?"
"That would be Crowley."
"Of course. Demonic thinking, self preservation and deception. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant!"
Crowley shifted in his seat.
"Oh don't look so worried, brother." Lucifer told him. "I'm not going to tell anyone. I like that they're scared of you. I think it's hilarious."
The redhead just stared at him.
"You really don't trust me do you? I just helped save your life. It's not my fault She's got permanent anger issues! I was tortured the same as you."
"No, you weren't," Crowley growled.
"Fine, maybe not the same, but that's because you wouldn't give in! If you'd stopped fighting it would have been over centuries sooner."
"And become like them? Like you? Enjoying torturing people?"
"Only those who deserve it! Besides, you seemed to be enjoying yourself with the angels."
"That was different."
"Oh? And why's that?" Lucifer leant forward with a grin.
"That was personal."
"Why? They hadn't hurt you, had they?"
"They deserved to Fall," Crowley gulped down his drink, Aziraphale refilling his glass on instinct.
"You didn't have to start the torture early."
Crowley knew he was right, he also knew what Lucifer was trying to do, he just didn't know why.
"But you always were the romantic weren't you, Crowley? Me? I helped create the Sun but you, you helped create some of the most beautiful things in the universe. The Star Maker."
"I'm sorry?" Aziraphale interrupted. "You helped create the sun?"
"Where do you think the name Morningstar came from?" Lucifer chuckled. "This man though; he created some of the most beautiful nebulas you've ever seen. That take's passion and a beautiful soul."
"Oh shut up," Crowley sneered. "We don't have souls any more."
"Denial. Always with the denial. How much more proof do you need? You protected an angel at great risk to yourself. You made yourself vulnerable in doing so. That fire that burns inside you, the fire that hurts; that's because you never really lost who you were before. That's a powerful thing. And they've underestimated you. A demon with a soul." Lucifer sighed and stood. "Crowley, I'm banning you from returning to Hell for anything other than a visit. You'll have no problems from me, live your lives as you wish. I may call in the odd favour, when I need someone keeping in line though," he looked pointedly at Crowley.
"Just…. don't summon me," the demon winced.
The Prince smirked. "Aziraphale. It was truly a pleasure to meet you but I feel it's time to return home. I've got a Gabriel size itch to scratch." He shook the angel's hand and smiled before walking to the doors, Aziraphale following behind.
"Thank you," the Principality said as Lucifer stepped out into the dark.
"It was a joint effort. Oh don't look so worried. I'm allowed to say it, I'm Satan for My sake." He grinned. "Go easy on him. He had his reasons and it wouldn't have been easy for him. Love doesn't come easy. By rights, for us, it shouldn't come at all. It's probably another reason he has survived everything he has. He has love in his heart; that's very angelic. And you? You've got enough of the devil in you to make you a force to be reckoned with. You make a powerful team."
Aziraphale pursed his lips.
"Make sure he knows you still care about him. The rest will follow." With a pat to the angel's shoulder he strolled off to enjoy SoHo's nightlife one more time.
Locking the doors and drawing the blinds, Aziraphale turned back to the sofa to find it empty and with a huff he set about turning out the lights before climbing the stairs.
XxXxX
"What are you doing up here?" Aziraphale called as he propped open the roof door.
"I was trying to see the stars but there's too much light."
The angel smiled gently. Even in the dark he could see the tension in Crowley's body, the sharpness of his features as he sat on the ledge, face turned up to the sky. "How are you?" Aziraphale asked him.
"Oh you know," he shrugged, not daring to look round him. "I...er…. I should go home."
"Oh? I rather thought you were home. Or hoped."
Crowley swallowed, "I just meant back to my flat."
"I know. I just rather like having you here."
"Right. Well. Ok. Ngk."
Aziraphale bit back a smile as he sat on the ledge next to the demon and took hold of his hand. Together they watched life pass beneath them; flickering lights on the bars and clubs of SoHo. Drunken humans laughing and shouting, car horns blaring as they stumbled into the road.
"It's so noisy," Crowley commented, his thumb rubbing against the angel's hand as his fingers twitched. "Reminds me of Hell. All noise and chaos. I didn't want to go back. I thought I'd screwed up when you wouldn't look at me and alI could hear was his taunts that he'd come after you, I had to make sure it didn't happen, I couldn't let him hurt you again."
"It was a long time ago. I've come to terms with it, dearest."
"I haven't." Crowley looked at him.
"Your hurt or mine?" Aziraphale watched the demon's Adam's apple bob as he swallowed.
"Both," he answered finally.
"But it wasn't Lucifer."
"No. We Fell at the same time."
"But if he's in charge now, who was there before?"
Crowley shook his head. "No one. Not really. She created Hell and the demons in it at first. Somewhere to send the riffraff, with beings ready to torture," he frowned. "Lucifer naturally ascended to Satan over a couple of centuries. He always was one for the dramatics even as an angel."
"Where as you were a star maker."
"Yeah. I mean Raphael was in charge but he pretty much left me to it."
"I thought you didn't remember who you were before you fell?"
"I didn't want to remember. Locked it away. I don't remember everything. Just bits I liked. I liked making nebulas, I remember that; trying to get the dust and gasses to reflect the light just right, to create the colours. By the time anyone really got to see them I was down here," he shrugged, his tight voice betraying his feelings.
"Maybe this was the best place to be when they were discovered. You got to see their reactions, you still get to see their enjoyment of them, of the beauty you created," the angel said. "Not many that can say the same."
"Always looking for the silver lining," Crowley's face softened, a small smile tugging at his lips.
"Well, I often find the world more bearable if you look for the good things."
"How very angelic of you," the demon teased.
"You love it really."
"Mmm."
"Crowley, when we first met you were…. different. There was a kind of joy about you and not the malevolent kind. You teased but it wasn't unkind. I found myself inexplicably happy each time we met but something changed. You changed. It was first obvious in Rome; you weren't happy."
"The first time you invited me for lunch as I recall."
"Yes, yes the oysters. They were scrumptious." Aziraphale trailed off, lamenting the loss of such culinary delights; no one had come close to doing the same to those oysters. "Oo don't distract me. Where was I?"
"Rome, salivating over oysters," Crowley sniffed.
"Ah yes. You weren't the same, you were…. sullen, grouchy even. Then you were up and down for centuries after that… well, when you hadn't gone missing."
"Is this leading somewhere?"
"That day in St James' Park. You asked for help and I reacted badly. I was so upset at the thought of you being near Holy water that I didn't stop to think why you'd asked for it."
"Doesn't matter. Got there in the end."
"Yes but you were still after it 100 years later and waited another 50 odd years to use it. What happened to make you think they were going to come after you?"
"Doesn't matter."
Aziraphale sighed in frustration.
Crowley turned to look at him, eyebrows raised over his glasses. "Are you going to tell me what Gabriel did?"
"That's entirely different."
"Is it? Why?"
"Well…. well…. because I….he….y..you…."
"Oh. Well that clears that up."
"I think you have a perfectly good idea of what he did," the angel muttered.
"As do you," Crowley said, looking back at the rooftops in front of them.
"Oh. You...you said not Lucifer."
"No. Not him. Dagon."
"Dagon?! Oh my. But what..?" His question was cut short by Crowley's snakelike head turn, quick as a strike, to stop further questions. "I'm sorry."
"Why are you sorry? You didn't do anything. Besides, I'm a demon, was bound to happen at some time. The perfect way to put us back in line when we stray. Lucifer probably doesn't even know. He is a lot of things, but he's not unnecessarily cruel. Not unless he really loses his temper. Don't tell anyone I said that, people knowing Satan isn't actually cruel might make him come for me after all."
"I think he's quite fond of you."
"Demons aren't fond of anyone."
"Oh really? You do a good impression of it."
"That's different." Crowley sniffed and leant forward to look down at the road.
"Why's that?"
"I'm not fond of you….. I love you."
Silence descended as Aziraphale stared at him, eyes filling while Crowley's words sunk in.
"You, um. Oh goodness. You l.. you love me?"
"It's what I said didn't I?" Crowley snapped defensively.
Aziraphale grinned, typical of his demon to sound irritated when feeling vulnerable. "Crowley, my dear."
The demon sighed. "Of course I do. I tortured archangels for you, went to Hell for you."
"Protected me from other angels almost getting yourself discorporated?"
"Oh I think it would have been more than discorperation, even for me. I'm...sorry I upset you."
"You thought you were doing the right thing," the angel acknowledged.
They fell into another short silence before Aziraphale spoke again to say "I love you too."
As Crowley looked at him, the angel tentatively reached out to remove his glasses, Crowley helped; showing him it was okay. His eyes burned in the night, a glowing amber that shimmered.
"Always have, Angel," the demon whispered.
Aziraphale leaned in and kissed him, delighting in the instant response. His hands crept round Crowley's back and he felt the bare skin through his tattered clothing again. "My love, aren't you cold?" he asked, pulling back.
Crowley clicked his fingers, miracling his fluffy red jumper, some cushions and a blanket.
The pair made themselves comfy, snuggled in the warmth together and stared at the night sky, imagining the passing planes were shooting stars above their heads and that they could see Crowley's masterpieces filling the inky black.
XxXxX
A/N; thats all folks! I hope you've enjoyed it, drop me a message because I'd love to hear from you! Until next time, stay safe my friends xx